The Northern Crusades: Europe's Last Pagan Kingdoms

Early Efforts at Christianization in Northern Europe

The medieval era was a tumultuous time in European
history. The collapse of the Roman Empire and the subsequent Germanic invasions
left Europe in shambles. Europe was left without a kingdom, and as a result the
Catholic Church took on the responsibility of providing governance. Germanic
kingdoms rose to compete with the Church for power and this dynamic created the
backdrop for the medieval era.

Eventually
the Church and the kingdoms of Europe decided to point their frustration and
military capability outward. This led to the Crusades. The Crusades are more
commonly known to have taken place to re-conquer the Holy Lands from the Seljuk
Turks, but there was another theater of war for the Crusaders. Throughout
Northern Europe, Crusaders marched east, but into the pagan kingdoms around the
Baltic Sea, not the Muslim kingdoms of the Mediterranean.

The
people of Northern Europe were the last to convert to Christianity. The Viking raiders
of Denmark and Norway had been a scourge on Christendom throughout France and
England, but missionary work brought the Scandinavians into the Christian fold.
While the Crusaders of Western Europe had to move abroad to seek out enemies of
the Cross, the Scandinavians had only to look to their borders to find pagan
kingdoms.

The
kingdoms in Latvia, Lithuania and Prussia were the last pagan kingdoms in
Europe. These three kingdoms formed the bulwark of a tribal society that split
the Catholic kingdoms of Western Europe from the Orthodox city-states of Russia
in Eastern Europe. Geography separated these kingdoms from each other, and from
the rest of Europe.

The heavily forested region
of Northern Europe was difficult to penetrate. In summer the rivers flooded
making it impossible to move caravans and cavalry around. In winter the cold
and frost would starve an army to death. The harsh conditions of Northern
Europe created a short period in which armies could be moved around to fight.

The earliest expansion into
the Baltic kingdoms was carried out by the Saxon Dukes of the Holy Roman
Empire. The Germanic Dukes that had territory bordering the Prussians expanded
by developing fortresses in Prussian territory. Prussia was then divided into
two kingdoms, one along the trade routes and rivers that was dominated by
Christian Germans, and one inside the forests that remained pagan.

At the same time as Prussia
was being divided, the Danes and Swedes advanced along the Baltic coast. Sweden
defeated pagan kingdoms in Finland and developed towns there, while Denmark
created trade posts along the Baltic coast to trade with pagan tribes that were
friendly. In the process of creating towns, Churches were constructed and the
Catholic Church expanded into the region.

The Teutonic Order

The early efforts of the Christian powers to expand into
the Baltic were not official Crusades, until the coming of the Sword-Brothers.
The Sword-Brothers were sanctioned by the Papacy to take Latvia for the Church.
During the course of the Crusade the Sword-Brothers converted Livonia, now part
of modern Latvia, to Christianity through forced conversion and extermination.
The Sword-Brothers became increasingly independent and powerful, until they
were defeated and slaughtered during a failed campaign.

The
defeat of the Sword-Brothers brought the Teutonic Order to Northern Europe. The
Teutonic Order had originally been commissioned to act in the Holy Land. Established
as Teutonic Knights of St.
Mary's Hospital in Jerusalem the Teutonic order was
forced north as a result of the Arab reclamation of the Holy Land. After the
fall of their headquarters in the Levant the Teutonic Order moved into Hungary
because the King of Hungary had granted them land. The King of Hungary
eventually changed his mind and expelled the Teutonic Knights.

Marienburg Castle

The
Teutonic Knights were the most successful of the northern Crusaders. They took
over command of the ongoing struggle against the Prussians, and decimated the
pagan Prussian kingdom. As the Teutonic Order moved along the Baltic coast they
developed a fortress at Marienburg (now Malbork Castle) which was used as their
headquarters. The Teutonic Order assimilated all that remained of the Livonian
Sword-Brothers. The Teutonic knights at this point had some of the largest
territorial holdings in Northern Europe.

The
size and military capability of the Teutonic Order brought them into conflict
with the Lithuanian kingdom. Lithuania at this time was the last pagan kingdom
in Europe. The Teutonic overwhelmed the Lithuanians through a bloody campaign
that lasted over a hundred years. The Lithuanians were eventually forced to
accept Christianity, but they avoided Teutonic domination by siding with
Poland.

The
Teutonic Order was victorious for a number of reasons. Throughout the campaign
Lithuania was unable to find reliable allies. It was difficult for Catholic
kingdoms to side with pagans against an Order with Papal protection. The
Teutonic Order also received military support from the rest of Europe. This
support combined with the Orders land holdings throughout the Holy Roman Empire
allowed the Teutonic Knights to keep a strong, reinforced army to fight the
Lithuanians.

The
Teutonic Order also led a campaign against the Russians. This campaign was a
failure. The Teutonic Order was routed
at the Battle of the Ice and was never again able to mount an attack against
the Russians.

Conclusion

The Northern Crusades were far more successful than the Crusades to the Holy Land had been. They successfully brought new people into the Christian fold, and maintained their hold until the Second World War. The two kingdoms that were created as a result of the Northern Crusades, Prussia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, dominated Eastern European politics until the unification of Germany. The Teutonic Order was vital to the success of the Northern Crusades, and should be recognized more in the English speaking world for its success.

Comments

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sending

Robert Sacchi

9 months ago

Yes, it seems many events are given footnotes or less.

AUTHOR

ata1515

9 months agofrom Buffalo, New York.

Thanks for stopping by Robert. It’s strange that some events in European history are almost completely glossed over by the English speaking world, even though they had such a great impact on the world.

Robert Sacchi

9 months ago

I enjoyed reading this Hub. I agree with you the Northern Crusades should be recognized more in the English speaking world. I think your Hub is a great contribution to this effort.

AUTHOR

ata1515

6 years agofrom Buffalo, New York.

Thanks, I will take a look at her.

Kathleen Cochran

6 years agofrom Atlanta, Georgia

Great work. Let me recommend to you a hubber named phdast7 who is also an historian and an excellent writer.

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